Plus-que-parfait (Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb préexister

ByMichael Burns

Introduction to the verb préexister

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The English translation of the French verb préexister is “to preexist.” The infinitive form is pronounced “pray-ehg-zee-stay.”

Préexister comes from the Latin term praexistere, which means “to exist beforehand.” It is most often used in everyday French in the Plus-que-parfait tense, which corresponds to the English past perfect tense. This tense is used to describe an action that occurred before another past action or event.

Examples:

  1. Avant de rencontrer son mari, elle avait préexisté seule pendant plusieurs années. (Before meeting her husband, she had existed alone for several years.)

  2. Les anciennes traditions avaient préexisté avant l’arrivée des colons européens. (The old traditions had preexisted before the arrival of the European colonists.)

  3. Avant même que l’univers ne soit créé, Dieu avait préexisté depuis toujours. (Even before the universe was created, God had preexisted for eternity.)

Table of the Plus-que-parfait (Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of préexister

Pronoun Conjugation Short Example English Translation
je j’avais préexisté J’avais préexisté avant l’événement. I had preexisted before the event.
tu tu avais préexisté Tu avais préexisté avant ta naissance. You had preexisted before your birth.
il il avait préexisté Il avait préexisté avant le début de l’humanité. He had preexisted before the beginning of humanity.
elle elle avait préexisté Elle avait préexisté avant le Big Bang. She had preexisted before the Big Bang.
on on avait préexisté On avait préexisté avant le début de notre existence. One had preexisted before the beginning of our existence.
nous nous avions préexisté Nous avions préexisté avant de devenir amis. We had preexisted before becoming friends.
vous vous aviez préexisté Vous aviez préexisté avant de vous rencontrer. You had preexisted before meeting each other.
ils ils avaient préexisté Ils avaient préexisté avant la découverte de leur passé. They had preexisted before discovering their past.
elles elles avaient préexisté Elles avaient préexisté avant leur existence sur terre. They had preexisted before their existence on earth.

Other Conjugations for Préexister.

   
    Le Present (Present Tense) Conjugation of the French Verb préexister
   

    Imparfait (Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb préexister
   

    Passé Simple (Simple Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb préexister
   

    Passé Composé (Present Perfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb préexister
   

    Futur Simple (Simple Future) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb préexister
   

    Futur Proche (Near Future) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb préexister
   

    Plus-que-parfait (Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb préexister     (this article)

    Passé Antérieur (Past Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb préexister

    Futur Antérieur (Future Anterior) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb préexister

    Subjonctif Présent (Subjunctive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb préexister

    Subjonctif Passé (Subjunctive Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb préexister
   

    Subjonctif Imparfait (Subjunctive Imperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb préexister

    Subjonctif Plus-que-parfait (Subjunctive Pluperfect) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb préexister
   

    Conditionnel Présent (Conditional Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb préexister
   

    Conditionnel Passé (Conditional Past) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb préexister

    L’impératif Présent (Imperative Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb préexister

    L’infinitif Présent (Infinitive Present) Tense Conjugation of the French Verb préexister

    Struggling with French verbs or the language in general? Why not use our free French Grammar Checker – no registration required!
   

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Préexister – About the French Plus-que-parfait (Pluperfect) Tense

The French “plus-que-parfait” tense is a past tense used to express actions or events that occurred before another past action or event. It is often translated to English as the “pluperfect” tense. The name “plus-que-parfait” literally means “more than perfect,” indicating that it is a tense used to describe actions that were completed before a specific point in the past.
NOTE: To take a deep dive into all the French tenses then see my article on Mastering French Tense Conjugation.

Tense Formation

To form the plus-que-parfait tense, you typically use the auxiliary verb “avoir” (to have) or “être” (to be) in the imperfect tense, followed by the past participle of the main verb. Here are the conjugations for both auxiliary verbs:
1. With “avoir” as the auxiliary verb:
   – J’avais mangé (I had eaten)
   – Tu avais parlé (You had spoken)
   – Il/elle/on avait fini (He/She/One had finished)
   – Nous avions lu (We had read)
   – Vous aviez choisi (You had chosen)
   – Ils/elles avaient joué (They had played)
2. With “être” as the auxiliary verb (usually for intransitive verbs or verbs indicating a state):
   – J’étais parti(e) (I had left)
   – Tu étais arrivé(e) (You had arrived)
   – Il/elle/on était tombé(e) (He/She/One had fallen)
   – Nous étions resté(e)s (We had stayed)
   – Vous étiez né(e)(s) (You had been born)
   – Ils/elles étaient monté(e)s (They had gone up)

Common everyday usage patterns

Sequencing of past events

The plus-que-parfait is used to express a past action that happened before another past action. For example, “J’avais mangé avant qu’il ne soit arrivé” (I had eaten before he arrived).

Background information

It is also used to provide background information or set the stage for a main past event. For instance, “Quand je suis arrivé, ils avaient déjà fini de manger” (When I arrived, they had already finished eating).

Hypothetical or reported speech

In indirect speech, the plus-que-parfait is used to report what someone had said or thought in the past. For example, “Il avait dit qu’il viendrait demain” (He had said that he would come tomorrow).

Interactions with other tenses

– The plus-que-parfait is often used in conjunction with the passé composé (simple past) to establish the sequence of past events. The passé composé describes the more recent action, while the plus-que-parfait describes the action that occurred earlier.
– It can also be used with the conditional mood to express a hypothetical past event, like “Si j’avais su, j’aurais agi différemment” (If I had known, I would have acted differently).
– When used in reported speech, it can be combined with the conditional mood or the imperfect subjunctive to reflect the original mood and tense of the reported statement.

Summary

The French plus-que-parfait tense is an essential part of the language for expressing past actions that occurred before other past actions, providing background information, and reporting past statements or thoughts. It is an integral component of constructing complex and accurate narratives in French.

I hope you enjoyed this article on the verb préexister. Still in a learning mood? Check out another TOTALLY random French verb conjugation!

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